One Sentence Summary
When Breath Becomes Air is a poignant memoir about facing mortality as a neurosurgeon, delving into themes of identity, interdependence, legacy, and purpose.
Book Genre
When Breath Becomes Air is a memoir written by Paul Kalanithi.
Main Topic of the Book
The main topic of the book is Paul Kalanithi’s journey through his diagnosis of stage IV metastatic lung cancer, his experience with illness and mortality, and finding meaning and purpose in a terminal illness.
Key Ideas
- Purpose and Mortality: Paul Kalanithi examines and reflects on his life, his struggles, and the entwining of purpose and mortality, as well as his identity as a scientist, doctor, and father.
- Interdependence: Paul reflects on the need for interdependence between loved ones, as well as the limitations of his own mortality.
- The Impermanence of Life: Paul confronts the reality of his own mortality and the impermanence of life, grappling with the challenge of creating meaning and purpose in a life with limited time.
Main Parts of the Book and a Short Summary
- Part 1: Becoming a Neurosurgeon: Paul Kalanithi, trained as a neurosurgeon and a writer, begins his memoir with his life as a doctor. He recounts the process of his admission into medical school and his experiences of becoming a successful young doctor.
- Part 2: The Illness: Part two chronicles his experience with Stage IV metastatic lung cancer and its impact on his life. He analyzes myriad ethical questions that arise due to his late-stage diagnosis and quantitatively measures the effect of his illness by determining life expectancy projections.
- Part 3: Reflection and Legacy: As his illness progresses, Paul reflects on the impact of his life and legacy on his family and medical career. He muses on the significance and power of love and the healing capabilities of science.
Key Takeaways
- Life is full of purpose and meaning, and mortality is an unavoidable part of life.
- We are all interdependent on others and our relationships are worth cherishing.
- We are impermanent and our life can be meaningful and valuable even if it is short.
Author’s Background and Qualifications
Paul Kalanithi is the author of the memoir When Breath Becomes Air. He was an American neurosurgeon and writer. After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in English Literature and Human Biology, he went on to pursue a degree in medicine and specialize in neurological surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Target Audience
When Breath Becomes Air is aimed at the general audience. It is a semi-autobiographical story about facing mortality and coming to terms with the end of life. Through his writing, Paul Kalanithi aims to provide comfort to people in similar situations as himself.
Publisher and First Publication Date
When Breath Becomes Air was published by Random House in 2016 and first published on January 12, 2016.